Friday, December 20, 2013

I didn't actually steal these. These wonderful persimmons were encroaching onto our common area in the wonderful town houses in Fremont California in which I live. If you happen to have a Sunset Western Garden book, or any other reputable garden or landscaping book, you would know that Fremont California lies in climate zones 15 and 16. In addition, if you are looking to grow persimmons, then Fremont California is an excellent choice. In the West, there are two very well known species of persimmons. There is the Oriental or Japanese persimmon and the American persimmon. Both of these trees are quite hardy and resistant to an oak root fungus. They are very easy to grow, but make sure you only prune the deadwood after the last of the fruit. There was one problem that they have referred to as fruit drop. It's common in young trees. But, if you are consistent in feeding and watering and make sure you have a good irrigation, it should not be a problem. In Fremont, you can probably find a great choice of person and trees at Reagan's nursery on Decoto Road.

You might see in December, a blackish brown tree with large bright orange persimmons left. This is most likely the Hachiya persimon--The Hachiya is the persimmon shown in the photograph above. I am a Fremont real estate agent http://www.tricityhome.com that looks for not just number of bedrooms and square feet and neighborhood and all the rest, but I take into account the landscaping and what types of trees already exist on the property. I recently sold a home in Fremont that had a wonderful Japanese persimmon tree in the backyard.

The persimmon tree is very popular because it is one of the best fruit trees for ornamental use; good garden or small shadetree use as well. It can be espaliered quite easily to show off it's mature structure. Not to mention, mature trees can produce huge amounts of fruit that can be dried and saved for the rest of the year. If you pick them off of the tree, make sure they fully ripen before you eat them. These particular persimmons shown in the photograph will be used for Persimon pudding, A slight twist on Christmas pudding. I hope that Charles Dickens would have approved.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

I found a very inexpensive fix concerning my Fremont hot water pressure or lack there of. Over a period of about 3 to 4 months, my family and I noticed very low hot water pressure. It also felt like there was just not enough hot water to go around. Moreover, dollar signs were appearing in my head because, when I searched the Internet for possible fixes, I found many causes for the same low hot water pressure problem--bad pipes, and bad water heater were to name a few.

Here is what I did for a quick $0 fix. I shut off the water main. Our Fremont Townhomes have a massive 1" water main. As a Fremont real estate agent, http://www.tricityhome.com I see many homes, and 1" pipe is rare. Point being, there should be no reason why we have low pressure hot or cold. Anyway, after shutting off the main, I opened my kitchen faucet to let out the hot water pressure build up.* I then used 2 pipe wenches and removed the hot water out fitting. This was that flex tubing coming out from the top of the hot water out nipple. What was left on the water heater was the nipple or short piece of pipe. Much to my surprise, I thought I could simply use a coat hanger wire to knock through any hard water deposits. Our hot water heater out pipe was 98% clogged with what looked like rust and calcium deposits. No wire I possess would remedy that significant of a clog. I took out my drill, and started a test drill bit of 5/16 inches. It worked very well to drill through the clogged length of the pipe without damaging the pipe. I then stepped up the drill sizes until I simply drilled out the hot water out nipple using a 1" spade drill bit. I now had a cleaned out pipe. I put everything back together carefully and tested the hot water after closing the kitchen faucet and turning on the main again. It was like having a brand new hot water heater. Now I face a new challenge of trying to prevent my family from using too much hot water.

I believe that you can also simply replace the nipple on the hot water out as well, but this was my first go at this issue, and it worked beautifully. I will make sure I replace the copper fitting using a dielectric fitting ASAP. Hot water heaters have sediment build up at the bottom of the tank anyway, so another 2 or 3 Tablespoons of sediment that I created from the drilling was not about to hurt. We are due for a water heater replacement soon, but this procedure bought us some time and solved the problem in less than 1 hour.

My installer for the hot water heater back in 2000 used copper nipples and not dielectric ones. When I do replace the hot water heater, I will make sure I have a dielectric fitting.

About the water, the Alameda County Water District has guidelines it must follow from the State of CA and the Federal Government. These standards were set by the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, However, I can taste a huge difference in my water when I drink from the faucet and when I drink the same water filtered through my reverse osmosis filter. So, what am I filtering out, or rather what does the EPA allow CA and Alameda County to leave in?

There are many sources that are updated on a regular basis that will disclose the quality of water in Fremont. Alameda County Water Disctrict provides a thorough five page report on their water quality each year. It is mailed out, but I did not receive mine--I actually downloaded the 2012 Water Quality Report provided on their website to take a look. It is a good report in my opinion. But when you ask around, and you talk to other Fremont residents about their water from a non-scientific point of view, the word is that it is a hard water with a notorious record for leaving hard water deposits where ever it is left to stand or dry out.

*My kitchen faucet is slightly lower elevation than my hot water heater, so the release of pressure was both initial water pressure release and gravity or siphon pressure release. I did it that way so that I would not have a gush of water after removing my hot water flex pipe from the hot water heater. I only had a manageable trickle.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

More like Glenmore elementary hair raiser. Glenmore elementary school is having its annual fundraiser at Chili's on Fremont Boulevard. Right next door is a haunted house "Ghost House" and lots of scary and fun activities for the children and family to do while donating money to Glenmooor Elementary.

It is such a fun way to enjoy a spur of the moment fun time during the week and donating money to a great school in Fremont. Go Wildcats!

Glenmore elementary real estate shows no signs of slowing down that much during this fourth-quarter.

Our close friend and 5th grade Glenmor Elementary teacher Mrs. Prescott wears the witch costume all too well. If you get a chance, see if you can come out and donate to Glenmore elementary school and have a good scare at the same time.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

You can enjoy a free unlimited TracFone texting. However, there are some limitations. First of all, long texts are a no go. TracFone allows a very limited set of text characters to filter through on the preview screen. I discovered this when I was taking some time off from my Livermore real estate agent office at http://www.tricityhome.com with my daughter watching my son practice soccer. She happened to purchase a TracFone and wants to text, but there is a fee involved when texting. So, during the free time we had, we explored what combinations of texting characters can we send for free and still get across a meaning to the receiver. As long as the receiver does not open the text message, certain text messages can be understood without opening. Here is what we came up with for texting for free.

This is what I see when I send free unlimited TracFone texting to my daughter from my iPhone.

Keep in mind, free TracFone unlimited texting requires a very specific string: Two characters, a space, two characters and another space or a period. From the top, this is what they mean: Come home, call home, love you, friendly flower, and are you okay?--this one requires a call back. I leave these on my text message screen. When I want to send TracFone free unlimited text, I simply tap edit then select then forward to my daughter. This assures me I have done the right characters in the right sequence

To get unlimited free texting on the Trac Fone phone, you may have to experiment what works for you. My wife used the same characters but was unable to get through. She had to come up with her own set of free texting characters.

I used my TracFone unlimited free texting characters today. I texted CM space HM. Three minutes later my daughter walked through the door.

It may not be real free texting, but it accomplished two things. One, it brought my daughter and I closer together while problem-solving. Two, it saves a few bucks, and that makes my daughter happy.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Glenmoor Elementary School, a 2012 recognized California Distinguished School by CA Department of Education, in Fremont has an outstanding musical theater company called Glenmoor Musical Theater (GMT). The GMT has been around for many years and has performed musicals that outperform many would be expectations. These must see performances are made possible in part to the tireless work of Mrs. Smith, Kindergarten teacher and head of the Glenmoor Musical Theater.

Parents of the performers must also volunteer their skills in order to make it all work however. As a result, there are directors, editors, set designers, costume designers and plenty of gaffs.

The latest production this Spring is The Rainmaker, set in a a jungle rain-forest backdrop that sends an ecological message. This is not the first eco message the children have sent us over the years. Native American themes have also had a presence on the Glenmoor stage. There are, however, a few firsts for the Glenmoor Musical Theater this time around. For example, "Spoiler alert" there will be a tragic scene for the first time in Glenmoor Musical Theater's history. Another first, and on a lighter note, yours truly will be solely responsible for the designing and building of the rain forest fig stumps set stage left and stage right--hence the pun in the title of this blog post. I have the design in my head. Now, I just need to get it to work. I will be building the stumps this Saturday at the multi purpose room at Glenmoor Elementary. Hopefully, with the use of jigs and a template or two, I can get it done on time. I have 3 hours to do the job.

The children, including one of mine, have been working diligently on their lines and their delivery. My daughter is in the play as the Snake, and although her lines are becoming easier for her, it's her delivery and feeling that needs work. Who really enjoys a mumbling snake on the stage? Never the less, her confidence is slithering along nicely as are the rest of the performers who are all getting closer to curtain time. There will be Shamans in costume dressed in the colors of the rainbow, actors dressed as monkeys that actually swing, and a fully working rain forest waterfall.

I am sure that Mrs. Smith, together with all parents involved with costume and set design, and with the hard-working students on and off stage should command a standing ovation at the end.

After a very focused week of selling Fremont homes http://MyColdwellBankerHome.com It will be nice reconnect in a different way to the community that makes Glenmoor and enjoy the fruits our labor.

about me

Jeff Pereyda was born in San Francisco
in the 60's then raised in Sunnyvale during the mid 60's on through
the 80's.

Growing up in the Bay Area and thanks
to his parent's unique hobby of surf fishing, Jeff learned his
long-time passion for surf fishing from his parents who carted him up
and down the coast at an early age hitting California's hot spots.
Jeff recalls one of the most important things he learned from his
mom. “My mom always said, 'you always have to have at least one eye
on the waves.' They're unpredictable at times.” Later, in his
twenties, and after earning a degree in Marketing, Management and
Sales, Jeff went on to study at San Jose Christian College and now
holds a Bachelor's Degree in liberal studies. After returning to the
work force, Jeff later studied to become a California real estate
broker. “Professionally speaking,” Jeff continues, “real estate
is a lot like the surf. The real estate market has its definite
crests and troughs, but it can be unpredictable. You have to always
keep an eye on it too.”

Jeff has earned the International
Diamond Award from Coldwell Banker in 2014 and has been in the top
10% in his office. At present, Jeff continues to provide personal
attention to detail in all his real estate transactions and has been
quite successful in his property management portfolio as well.

During his personal time off, Jeff
enjoys surf fishing and brewing hand crafted beer using his very own
DIY recirculating infusion mash system in the back yard of his custom
Livermore home. Life is good,and if you ask, he'll be happy to share.